Pattaya Used To Be Paradise – Now Its A Cesspit
I still don’t understand how any man in their right mind can travel to that place, but each to their own, I guess.
After my first visit to Pattaya, I got hooked on the place, just like so many others—probably because of the wild nightlife there, the amount of bars and girls, and the fact that every night is a Saturday night.
I did the whole bar-hopping and barfining thing every night that I would be there.
I did not care about the rest of Thailand; I was only interested in this city.
This became the place I would visit as many times as I could per year.
Every other country or city did not interest me anymore. Pattaya really was the place for me.
The Harsh Reality of Pattaya
But by 2024, I wouldn’t go back there even if you paid me.
It is just a disgusting place now, and what I ever saw in that city, I’ll never know.
Nowadays, it’s just full of the worst of the worst type of people, both farangs and Thais.
I am a middle-aged man. People say I am decent-looking and look younger than my age.
But even though I am younger than most type of men you see in Pattaya, it doesn’t mean I haven’t messed up plenty in my life, especially when it comes to Thai women and bar girls.
The Early Pattaya Days Was A Dream
Back to my first trip to Pattaya—it felt like a dream.
At first, it was heaven on earth. It was so good for me that I skipped my flight back home and ended up staying longer than I had planned.
Just everything about that lifestyle I loved.
I was going into new bars and talking to new people every night. I did and still do understand why people get addicted from their first visit.
It was a lot cheaper then also, but I still got through a lot of cash, spending it on the bars, the ladies, and just having the time of my life.
This went on for about 10 years since my first visit.
I would work 3 months on, then have a month off. I tried to spend my time off in Pattaya as much as I could.
The Ugly Truth About Pattaya’s Underbelly
Now, after countless visits over the years, I have been able to see how things really work there, and now I can’t stand the place, especially the leeches who thrive there.
Of course, there are a small handful of people that do not go to Pattaya for the same reason most of us go there.
Some go there for a beach holiday, some on a weekend break from Bangkok, people that work there, and just people that are traveling around. But they are not the ones that ruined this place for me.
Everyone’s got their own way of living—I get that.
But damn, some of the biggest deadbeats I’ve ever come across are in that place, both foreigners and Thais.
The Decline of Pattaya’s Tourist Quality
Just have a walk down Beach Road and look at the growing amount of broke old foreigners sitting there with their beer from 7-Eleven, just drinking themselves away.
I used to be able to go in a bar on my own in Pattaya and would get chatting to other foreigners that are there solo, but towards the end, I would try and avoid foreigners like the plague.
The quality of tourists there has just dropped over the years.
They are older, ruder, entitled, and literally broken.
A lot of the bar girls are like that also—not all of them, but plenty of them are shameless, disrespectful, clueless, bottom-of-the-barrel types I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
The Scams and Manipulation Game
Thailand, especially Pattaya, is crawling with parasites, ready to take you for a ride and scam their way into your life.
Yes, there are plenty of so-called good girls out there, but they also play the game and are not as innocent as they look.
These Pattaya girls only have one goal in mind, and that is to latch onto someone with money that they can squeeze every last baht out of.
Their favorite type of lowlife to target are drunken two-week millionaires with about two brain cells and a lot of cash they are willing to blow like it’s Monopoly money.
The Delusions of Pattaya’s Foreign Visitors
That being said, they will go for anyone with money, really.
But in Pattaya, you’ll usually find the same type of guys walking around and in the bars—guys over 50, out of shape, the kind of looks that wouldn’t get a second glance back home.
These guys are not exactly rolling in cash but have enough to get by.
That’s why they fly into poorer countries with their wallets open, ready to get rinsed out of whatever they have.
And rinsed they do.
If you go there with the mindset that it’s all about money and no feelings involved, then you should be able to have a good time.
But you would be amazed at how hard that is for some men.
They come to places like Pattaya and get so much attention from Thai women that they think they are now God’s gift to women.
They never had luck with women back in their own country, so they have convinced themselves that Thailand is some type of paradise.
But let’s be real—it’s far from it.
Pattaya’s Grim Reality
Maybe it’s because I am getting old, or maybe just because I am slightly more intelligent than the average drunk tourist, but the bar scene in Pattaya isn’t some fun playground anymore.
It’s a grimy, disgusting underworld where life shows its ugliest side.
When you look past the fake smiles, the drunken laughter, and the copious amounts of makeup, there is nothing enjoyable about what really goes on there.
The entire system there is designed to do one thing: squeeze every last dollar out of you with minimal work.
That’s the cold, hard truth.
The Tragic Cycle of Foolish Foreigners
Some men already know that.
Others are lost and believe that they have got something more than just a temporary, paid-for fling.
I’ve seen way too many guys over 50 living what’s basically a trainwreck life waiting to happen.
They meet a girl in Pattaya that shows them attention that they would never get back in their country—attention that they have never felt before—and it puts them on top of the world.
Then, for some strange, bizarre reason, they convince themselves that this girl must really like them because of the things she’s saying and the affection she is showing.
That situation then goes from a paid encounter to a paid relationship, and the guy is still none the wiser that this whole thing is just about money.
The Financial Drain of Fake Relationships With Bargirls
These guys are out getting wasted every single night, slowly wrecking themselves—and somehow they’re convinced they’re living the dream? Seriously?
He’s paying his new so-called girlfriend for dates, food, drinks, clothes, and everything else—even sending her a salary when he flies back home because he believes he’s in a real relationship.
Giving her money while you are with her in Thailand is one thing, but sending money to a so-called girlfriend when you go back home is just straight-up mental.
It’s a one-sided deal; you don’t even get to see the girl in person.
These guys really think that sending them money while you are not there is going to make them stay faithful to them.
Please—these girls have multiple guys doing the exact same thing.
My Own Mistakes With A Thai Girl and Wake-Up Call
I don’t want to sound like I’m being harsh on these men that do that.
I’ll admit, I was in that place for a while too, though I never did nor would I ever give a girl money while I am not there.
It wasn’t until I stayed sober, wised up, and seen Pattaya for what it really was that I couldn’t stand it anymore.
Maybe you have to have time to deal with the type of people there to see through all the nonsense of the city.
The Sad Life of People That Send Money To Thai Girls
I have two friends I have met in Pattaya.
They are decent, hardworking people—wouldn’t harm a fly—and that means they are easy targets.
They both send 15,000+ baht per month to their so-called girlfriends that they met in the bar.
They claim they do not work in the bars anymore, as they are paying their salary.
But anyone with just a slight bit of common sense knows that they will be straight back in the bar once their farang ATMs go back to their country.
Here’s an idea—if you’re dead set on throwing your money away by sending monthly payments to some bar girl, just wire it to me instead.
I’ll actually put it to good use in something that makes returns, not drains your wallet dry.
At least I’m honest about what I am—unlike the “liabilities” you’re funding.
A Shocking Example of Farang Exploitation
One time, me and a few friends were sat in a bar having a few beers.
One of the guys with us, an older guy, had his girlfriend with him—well, the girl he was paying to pretend she was his girlfriend.
You could see it plain as day—she was drunk, treating him like garbage, with zero respect whatsoever.
And this poor fool? He’s been bankrolling her for years. What a joke.
This guy is no millionaire—in fact, quite the opposite.
He goes home, works his fingers to the bone to support her, and saves enough to visit Pattaya maybe three times a year.
So all she has to do really is three months out of the year while he is there, put in the groundwork, lie to him, convince him she is totally in love with him, then when he goes home, he can keep collecting from him while she does whatever else for even more money.
He is funding the whole thing.
It’s so obvious to everyone around him she doesn’t care for him, but it’s crazy what a bit of Pattaya can do to someone.
The Toxic Culture of Pattaya Bars
The real kicker? She’s not even attractive—just lazy and entitled.
But hey, that’s on him for enabling it.
If he’d sober up, get in shape, and try dating back home, he might actually find a decent woman.
Instead, he’s stuck funding some deadbeat’s lazy habits.
But that’s how the Pattaya game works—it preys on weak-willed guys who can’t walk away.
These days, Pattaya just feels like a bottle of sorrows, draining what’s left of these lost souls.
Even going to the bar with a friend, just to shoot some pool, have a drink, chat, and maybe glance at a few of the ladies, is a hard task in itself.
The whole night, you are telling ladies, “No thanks,” when they come and try to sit with you.
You are fending off the sob stories, the scams, the manipulation the whole night. It’s impossible to have a quiet drink on your own or with a friend.
The “Cheap Charlie” Insult and Psychological Games
Then you are the bad guy for not tipping or spending time with any of these bar girls.
You are the cheap farang, the Cheap Charlie, and they will let it be known as you are leaving.
Part of me just wants to snap: “Hey, you already made money just because I walked in here—that’s your tip. Stop begging like a stray dog.“
But of course, I keep my cool in situations like that.
After all, all the old, sweaty farang that apparently live here say that we have to respect Thai culture, even though they have never bothered to learn Thai.
According to them, Thailand is the greatest country on earth.
Funny that, as I’ve never seen proof of that.
These types of foreigners are funny.
They fall in love with a bar girl and instantly become an expert about the country and the culture, talking down to the younger tourists as if they own Thailand. It’s just pathetic.
My Personal Nightmare with a Bar Girl
Now, let me go back to when I was a bit of a bar-goer with no outlook on life, like most Pattaya veterans.
I met a bar girl and took things to the next level, paying her not to go to the bar daily and to spend time with me.
Even though part of me knew exactly how messed up and sad this whole arrangement was, I still did it.
It was a nightmare from the get-go—easily the worst experience of my life, a complete mess.
We would fight nonstop over money.
The thing with these girls is, it’s never enough. You give them 10,000 a day, they want 15, you give them 15, they want 20. It’s nonstop.
The Endless Demands of a Bar Girl
Even though I paid for the dates, barfines, food, and everything else only while we were together, it was never enough.
My whole approach was to pay the bare minimum, which drove her crazy. I knew what I was paying for and what I wanted.
I wasn’t going to give her anything extra.
Look, I don’t want to sound like a guy with no respect for people, but I demand my money’s worth.
I’m no pushover, and you’d better believe I made sure she earned every last baht of it.
There will be no free rides, no money for sick family, no shopping sprees.
This is business and nothing but business.
Looking back, she was basically a manipulative child—the most dishonest person I’ve ever crossed paths with.
Clueless about most things, yet somehow convinced she was clever. By the end, all I felt was pity for how pathetic she really was.
We are not people in the eyes of these girls.
We are just ATMs ready to be drained, discarded, and when on that plane, they will move onto the next one.
Their worldview boils down to one idea: farangs exist to sponsor them. And nowadays, they don’t even hide that.
Throwing cash at some Thai girl that works in a bar is not an investment—it’s just lighting money on fire.
That’s why these days, I guard my wallet like a hawk, and if I’m spending, I’m making sure I get real value.
All A Bargirl Wants Is Money
One time, she actually had the nerve to ask me how much money I’ve saved in the bank and what I’m planning to do with it.
I gave her a lowball number, which was just a fraction of what I had.
I was not going to put the idea in her head that she can somehow get any of my savings.
That, for sure, was not going to happen.
When I told her I only had a bit in my bank, she called me a Cheap Charlie because she has been conditioned to think that every foreigner is just going to blindly fall in love with her and toss cash at her.
And if you don’t play along, you’re a Cheap Charlie.
Why “Cheap Charlie” Should Be a Badge of Honor
The term “Cheap Charlie” really makes my blood boil.
Just because you are not stupid with your money and don’t give into the bargirl manipulation doesn’t make you cheap—it makes you smart.
They should change the phrase from Cheap Charlie to Smart Charlie.
The irony is that half the time, it’s some low-class Thai that calls you a “Cheap Charlie.” They’re the biggest tightwads of all—just projecting their own miserly crap onto others.
Let’s be real—most bar girls won’t spend a single baht of their own money.
That “10-15k monthly allowance” quickly balloons to 30k or more once you factor in their drinks, meals, rent, and whatever else they can squeeze out of you, there’s no ceiling to their demands.
And that’s just from you. You better believe that there are also other men helping her out that you do not know about.
That “Cheap Charlie” insult is just a psychological trap to shame you into handing over cash.
Next time some entitled leech tries it, just grin and say “Thanks!” because what they really mean is: You’re too smart to fall for their games.
Wear it like a badge of honor.
The Final Request From This Manipulating Bar Girl
A few nights after I told her that I only have a small amount of money in the bank, we are sat in the bar, and she randomly hits me with: “You should go back to your country and work for a bit so we can travel together.“
I almost fell back choking.
I couldn’t believe that she actually thought that I wanted more than what we have—that she easily thought she could reel me in to catching feelings for her and convincing me that this is anything more than just business.
The absolute sheer nerve of her… But I can’t blame her, really, for shooting her shot.
There probably have been many sad, desperate foreigners that have crossed paths with her and fell for her games and tricks.
The thing is, I wasn’t broke at all.
I’m well off and could have easily booked a first-class trip around the world that same day, but there is not a chance in hell I would let her know that and fund her vacation.
It’s just laughable at the lengths these girls will go to get as much money from you as possible.
But again, I can’t blame them, many two-brain-cell men come to Pattaya.
Why I Finally Walked Away
By that point—whether you call it a “relationship“, a business deal, or just a total trainwreck—I knew I was done, and yeah, I’ll own my part in it.
Some may say I was tight and should have given her money, but my reply to that is: I paid for what I got.
My money is mine.
I wasn’t paying for a relationship with her, so I wasn’t going to be dishing out money left and right.
I don’t even know why I stuck around for as long as I did.
Maybe it was the thrill of her being a walking red flag from the start, and I wanted to see just how long I could last.
The other red flags piled up very fast: the lies, the other sponsors, her pawning the gold that other foreigners had gifted her, the demands for money, and she thought she was the most beautiful and amazing woman in Thailand.
Yeah, she was very attractive—I wouldn’t have gone with her if she wasn’t—but she was far, far from the most beautiful girl.
I mean, the red flags did not put me off as much as they should have done because, to me, it wasn’t a relationship and it never was going to be one.
But I just started to hate the way she was as a person.
The Truth About Bargirls’ Respect (or Lack Thereof)
She was extremely rude to everyone when we went out. She had to be right about anything and everything, and she was very manipulative.
She would tell me that she can’t meet tonight unless she can send some money back to her family because they needed it.
I knocked that on the head straight away and told her those lines aren’t going to work on me.
And if you think these girls are talking nice about you once you have left, then you are in for a big shock.
One of my bargirl’s lazy friends was rinsing an Aussie guy out of about 20k a month, and he was rarely in Pattaya seeing her—maybe once a year if he was lucky.
So, it was easy money for her to send him a few sweet text messages a day while at work.
He was extremely overweight and not handsome in the slightest.
She wasn’t much better-looking either—no disrespect to him, like; I just say what I see.
When she would talk about him to friends, she would refer to him as “the fat man.” They didn’t even use the guy’s name—that’s how much respect they have for foreigner sponsors.
They love you when you are sending them money, then don’t care about you when it comes to work.
Mine made sure to inform me that she had told all her bargirl friends that I am a broke loser, which was fine for me.
I’d rather them think that than know I’m a well-off guy that could fund them for life.
That bar girl who kept draining that overweight Aussie made one too many snide remarks about me being “poor“—and that was the last straw.
The irony? She was flat broke herself, which is exactly why she was peddling her unattractive self to any sponsor that would have her.
By that point, I was completely finished with it all—Pattaya, the bar girls, the endless lies, the drunken messes, the bottom-tier expats.
I’d had enough.
My Final Act of Defiance Before Leaving Thailand
I had already decided to leave Thailand, but I kept it to myself and did not tell anyone.
I did not want anyone to know I was leaving, as the girl I was with would have tried her very best to make me leave Thailand moneyless.
After all the games she had tried to play on me, I thought it was time for some immature revenge.
I took a screenshot of my bank balance and sent it to her as a little souvenir the day before my flight.
The caption I slapped on it? “Tell your gold-digging friends to shove this number.” If it made her lose even an ounce of face in front of her leech crew? Mission accomplished.
Lessons Learned from Pattaya
I am so glad I went down the path of pretending I was broke.
The lady-drink bills for her friends when we went out would have been huge.
Sometimes, you have to play them at their own game—get what you want and leave with a smile on your face.
This truth gets repeated constantly—for good reason. Spending too much time around bar girls warps your sense of reality because their entire world operates on delusion and exploitation.
You may have a few rules of your own you take to Pattaya with you, such as the 3-day rule.
But if you hang around at the bars long enough, you’ll see that normal rules don’t apply there, and soon enough, neither will yours.
Is Pattaya Worth It Anymore?
To me, Pattaya is now a cesspit—bottom-tier personalities, low-quality tourists, and full of deception.
Getting involved with a woman there is going to be a huge mistake for you.
You will just be joining the vast number of foreigners falling for these games every day, and you will end up wallowing with them at the very bottom of the Pattaya pit.
If you are planning to visit Pattaya for the first time, I still recommend it.
I’m not trying to put you off, but do not get addicted to the place like most of us do.
Go there, have fun, do not get any feelings for anyone, and then go home—and your trip should be fun.
Be safe. Thailand isn’t just Pattaya.
